Hello! I have a 1974 Bagheera and I would like to have just a little more oumph in the engine. Does anyone has some nice links or other tips for me?
Kind regards Ken Håkansson, Malmö, Sweden
It all depends on what you have now and if that is already performing at its best. It is after all well over 40 years old!
Assuming it is a standard 1300cc with twin 36 DCNF Weber carburettors, then that is quite highly tuned already as they were rated at 84 DIN horsepower, which was pretty good in its day for a 1300. Many 1600cc in the seventies only had around 65-70 PS.
You could replace the 1300 with a 1442 and in good condition that would bring the horsepower up to 90 PS, or even replace it with a 1600 as these are all based on the same engine but even the 1600 only gains another few horsepower, but it does give more torque so it will feel better.
To get a lot more power you are going to need a better camshaft such as the Simca Rallye 3 cam. All engine tuning starts with the camshaft so that the engine can breathe better. More oxygen in will give more power out, if everything else is correct. Do not think or make the classic mistake that putting on bigger carburettors will improve things. That will not work. Camshaft first, then other items to match, such as gas flowed exhaust manifold, and maybe re-jetting the existing carburettors. If you only have the one carburettor, then consider the twin carburettor set up used on the Bagheera S.
Roy